Crane



J. J. LANIGAN' Nov. 5, 1957 CRANE 1 Filed Aug. 22, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.3 8 -i .m- Iumng; 9 86 l 5 JOHN J. LANIGAN J. J. LANIGAN Nov. 5, 1957CRANE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 22, 1955 FIG.5

. INVENTOR. JOHN J.LANIGAN BY zi fi w v ATT'YS CRANE John J. Lanigan,Chicago, Ill. Application August 22, 1955, Serial No. 529,768

8 Claims. (Cl. 212-59) This invention relates to power cranes and moreparticularly to power cranes of the type mounted on mobile equipmentsuch as trucks and the like.

This'invention is primarily directed to a crane suitable for use with atruck of the type commonly used by utility companies. In this connectionit is necessary that the crane occupy as little of the available floorspace of the truck body as possible, and that it be capable of liftingrelatively large weights while being retractable so as to occupy aslittle height as possible while the truck is enroute. It is also arequirement that cranes of this type be comparatively light in weightfor the lifting capacity.

With this in mind, a primary object of the invention is to provide amobile crane of the stated type which is characterized by compactness inuse as well as in transit and which is capable of lifting relativelylarge weights located at varied positions with respect to the truckbody. Another object of the invention is to provide a crane of thestated type which includes a boom which exhibits great resistance tobending while under strain.

Other and further objects, advantages, and features of the presentinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings in which similar reference characters relate to similar partsand in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a service truck equipped with acrane made in accordance with the presline 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is an elevational view, partly in section, showing a modifiedform of the present invention; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view taken substantially on line 88 of Fig. 7.

With reference to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1, thecrane of the present invention is shown in conjunction with a motortruck of the type commonly used by utility companies for servicingoperations. Mounted at the forward end and to one side of the truck bodyis the cranegenerally indicated by reference numeral 10. This craneincludes a mast structure 11, a boom 12 and an auxiliary mast 13. Acradle 14 is mounted on the roof of the truck body to secure the boom 12in the position shown in dot-and-dash lines while the truck is intransit, and similarly, a cradle 15 extends upwardly from the roof ofthe truck cab to retain the. auxil- United States Patent 0 2,812,071Patented Nov. 5, 1957 ice 2 iary mast 13 in the substantially horizontalposition shown in dot-and-dash lines.

The crane is rigidly mounted at the forward right-hand corner of thetruck body by means of a support assembly, generally indicated byreference numeral 16. By this arrangement, a minimum of useful floorspace of the truck body is occupied. The assembly 16 includes aplurality of upright standards 17 which desirably take the form of anglebeams and are secured at their lower ends by welding or other suitablemeans to the conventional floor beams of the truck body. Joining theupper ends of the standards 17 are horizontally disposed angle members18, Angle members 19 extend upwardly and inwardly from the points ofjuncture of the angle members 18 and are fixedly secured at their upperends to a plate 22 while their lower ends preferably are welded to theends of the members 18. The plate 22 is provided with a central aperture23 for securing in position the mast structure 11.

The mast structure 11 includes a hollow cylindrical column 23 whichextends upwardly through the roof of the truck body at 24. Rotatablymounted within the column 23 by means of spaced thrust bearings 25, 25is a mast 26 which extends beyond the upper edge of the column 23. Thebearings 25 are of the conical type for facilitating rotation of themast 26 while at the same time providing for axial thrust. Referring nowto Figs. 4 and 6, a generally U-shaped socket 27 is mounted on the upperedge of the mast 26 and is secured in position by welding or othersuitable means. This socket has arms 28 provided with oppositelydisposed openings 29, 29 in which an axle 32 is journalled and openings33, 33 in register each with the other, in which an axle 34 is mounted.A pulley 35 is rotatably disposed on the axle 32, and a pulley 36 isarranged for rotation about the axis of the axle 34. Also, mounted onthe axle 34 is the boom 12. To this end a bearing member 37 is ailixedto the boom 12 at one end and is provided with apertures 38 in registereach with the other.

According to an important feature of the present invention, the boom 12is comprised of an outer sleeve 39, and anv inner concentrically mountedsleeve 42. The sleeve 42 is retained in fixed radially spaced relationwith respect to the sleeve 39 by spacer rings 43 arranged in engagementwith the marginal edges of the respective ends of the sleeves. The rings43 are desirably fixed in position by welding or the like and are firmlysecured to both sleeves. By this arrangement, additional rigidity isimported to the sleeve 39 by the sleeve 42. While the outer sleeve 39tends to bend slightly while in use, the inner sleeve 42 remainsstraight since the load which it sustains is axial only. The compositeboom is thus capable of resisting stresses that would readily bendtubing of a thickness equal to both of the sleeves 39 and 42 or a boomconsisting of concentric tubes or sleeves in wall to wall contact withthe other. While the precise reason for this phenomenon is not known itis believed that the bending stresses exerted on tube 39 cause an axialcompression on the inner sleeve 42 which, acting as a strut connectedonly between the opposite ends of the main tube 31, increases theresistance to bending of the composite boom.

Referring again to Fig. 4 and initially to Fig. 5, a socket 44 isswivelly mounted at the outer end of the boom 12 by means of a ballbearing 45. The socket 44 is generally U-shaped in configuration and hasa pair of arms 46 provided with oppositely disposed apertures 47 forreception of an axle 48. A pulley 49 is rotatably mounted on the axle 48for a purpose hereafter described.

The auxiliary mast 13 is shown in Fig. 4 in its operative position. Inthis position the auxiliary mast 13;cooperates with the mast 26 toafford a verticalmast of sufii cient height to obtain the requisitemechanical advantage to lift the boom 12, as will be hereafter apparent.This auxiliary mast includes an outer sleeve or tube 52 and. aninnersleeveor tube 53 maintained in fixed spaced relation with respect to theouter tube 52 by means of spacerrings 54 which. are preferably welded inposition. The outer end ofthe auxiliary mast 13 is provided with asocket 55 in which a pulley 56 is suitably journalled. A bearing member57 is afiixed to the inner end of the auxiliary mast 13 for pivotalmovement of thisauxiliary mast about an axle 58 which is journalled inarms 59 offa generally U-shaped socket 62 welded to the upper marginaledge of the column 26. A pulley is rotatably. mounted on the axle 58 fora purpose hereinafter described. For securing the auxiliary mast 13 inoperatingposition, a slip ring 63 is arranged in surrounding relation tothe sleeve or tube 52. This ring. has a downwardly extending lug 64which engages the inner surface of the base of the socket 27. When it isdesired to move the auxiliary mast 13 to the position shown indot-anddash lines in Fig. I, theslip ring 63 is merely raised so thatthelug 64 no longer engages the socket 27.

Referring again to Fig. 2, a suitable source of power, not shown, whichdesirably takes the form of a power take=otf from the vehicle engine, isconnected to a winch or power means 65 mounted in the space defined bythe upright members 17 of the support assembly 16. The

winch-65 has a drive shaft (not shown) on which a reel .66 is mounted. Acable 67 is wound about the reel 66 and passes upwardly through the mast26, over the pulley 35, under the pulley 36 and thence over the pulley49, and terminates in hook 68. The hook 68 grasps the weight to belifted, as will be understood.

The auxiliary mast 13 serves to control the angularity of the boom 12,and thus move objects bodily after they have been lifted to apredetermined level by the hook 68. For this purpose, a clutch 69 isarranged between reel 66 and a reel 72 on which is wound a cable 73. Ashaft is connected to the clutch 69 and rotates the reel 72. The cable73 engages the pulley 60, passes over the pulley 56 and is secured atits free end to an adjustable ring 75, which may be moved axially of theboom 12 for accommodating weights of predetermined mass.

outer end of the boom 12. For securing the ring 75 in positionfrictional elements such as thumb screws 76 'may be employed. The clutch69 affords selective rotation and operation of the reels 66 and 72. Forexample, the clutch may be arranged to permit rotation of the reel 66 tolift the object to the level of the roof of the truck body.. The

reel 72 may then be operated independently to raise the boom 12 so thatits outer end is moved toward the truck for depositing objects alongsidethe truck. In addition, thereels 66 and 72 may be operated inconjunction with each other to drag an object along the ground, if thatbe desirable.

Rotation of the entire crane structure about the axis with acorrespondingly shaped socket. The crank 83 may be removed while thevehicle is in transit. The worm gear 77 meshes with the teeth of a ringgear 84, which 'isfixedly secured to the outer surface of the mast 26 bywelding, or the like. Turning of the crank 83 affords full 360 rotationof the entire crane structure about the. truck body.

Referring now more particularly to- Fig. 2, the crane For instance, whenthe article to be lifted is of considerable weight, the ring 75 may bemoved upwardly towards the of the present invention is capable oflifting weights of such magnitude that the entire truck would tip overwere not provision made for counteracting this force. This isparticularly true where the object to be lifted is located in distantrelation to the side of the truck in which the crane structure ismounted. To this end, an outrig 85 is provided. The outrig 85 includes astructural member 86 dimensioned to be received within one of theconventional channel members supporting the truck body. At the outer endof the structural member 86 is formed a yoke 98 in which is received atongue 87 of a support leg 88, as best shown in Fig. 2a. A pin 89 passesthrough opposed apertures 92 in the yoke and an aperture 93 in thetongue 87 to secure the support leg 88 and the structural member 86 infixed position. When the sup port leg 88 is not in use, it may be stowedwithin the truck body and the structural member 86 may be slid to theposition shown in dot-and-dash lines and secured by the pin 89 whichpasses through a suitable opening in the channel member of the truckchassis. The support leg 88 is adjustable to permit use under variedterrain conditions. For this purpose the leg 88 is formed in twosections, a hollow base section 93 and a main section 94 slidablyreceived in the base section 93. The base section 93 is formed with anelongated longitudinally extending slot 95 and plurality of oppositelydisposed bayonet slots 96 opening into the slot 95. Projecting radiallyfrom the body section 94 is an operating lever and stop element 97 whichmay be selectively placed in any of the slots 96- as terrain conditionsrequire.

In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown a modified form of the present invention inwhich the need for the pulley 35 is eliminated. In this form of theinvention, a pulley 36a is mounted in the socket 27 in a manner thatefficient operation at 'all' boom elevations is afforded. For thispurpose, the

inner end of the'boom 12 is mounted on a pair-of shoeshaped brackets'98which pivot about the axle 34. Each of the brackets 98 includes anarcuate ankle section 99 for engaging and fastening to the surface ofthe end of the boom 12, and a foot portion 101 having an opening 102 forreception of the ends of the axle 34. By this arrangement, movement ofthe boom 12 to a vertical position is permitted without interferencewith the opera- I tion of the pulley 36a.

A capstan 103 may be attached to the free end of the shaft 70 forpulling objects along the ground. For this purpose, the clutch 69 may beactuated to disengage the reels 66 and 72. An additional power take-offshaft104 is provided for operation of a power digger or the like. Thisshaft is rotated by the shaft 70 through a reduction gear 105.

It will be apparent that this invention maybe embodied in devices whichdiffer in many respects from theparticular embodiment disclosed. Allmodifications which do not go beyond the scope of the invention willreadily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. It is,therefore, not intended that the invention be limited to the exactconstruction shown and described, but only to the inventive concept asdefined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A crane adapted to be mounted on a truck comprising a stationaryupright hollow cylindrical column, a hollowcylindrical mastconcentrically mounted within said column, means for rotating said mastwith respect to said column, an auxiliary mast pivotally mounted on saidfirst mast, said auxiliary mast being movable from a horizontal positionWhile the truck is in transit to a vertical position while the crane isin use, a boom pivotally mounted on said first mast, a pulley swivellymounted on the outer end of said boom, a cable passing through said boomand'over said pulley, areel mounted within the body of said truck forwinding said cable,

power means selectively operable to rotate said reel for winding andunwinding said cable, and means operable in cooperation with saidauxiliary mast for raising and lowering said boom.

2. A crane adapted to be mounted on a truck comprising a stationaryupright hollow cylindrical column, a hollow cylindrical mastconcentrically mounted within said column, means for rotating said mastwith respect to said column, an auxiliary mast pivotally mounted on saidfirst mast, said auxiliary mast being movable from a horizontal positionWhile the truck is in transit to a vertical position while the crane isin use, a boom pivotally mounted on said first mast, said boom having anouter sleeve and an inner sleeve maintained in fixed radially spacedrelation to each other and connected together at their ends only, apulley swivelly mounted on the outer end of said boom, a cable passingthrough said boom and over said pulley, a reel mounted within the bodyof said truck for winding said cable, power means selectively operableto rotate said reel for winding and unwinding said cable, and meansoperable in cooperation with said auxiliary mast and connected to saidboom intermediate the ends thereof for raising and lowering said boom.

3. A crane adapted to be mounted on a truck comprising a stationaryupright hollow cylindrical column, a. hollow cylindrical mastconcentrically mounted within said column, means for rotating said mastwith respect to said column, an auxiliary mast pivotally mounted on saidfirst mast, said auxiliary mast being movable from a horizontal positionwhile the truck is in transit to a vertical position while the crane isin use, a boom pivotally mounted on said first mast, said boom having anouter tubular sleeve and an inner tubular sleeve, a spacer ring securedbetween said inner sleeve and said outer sleeve at each end only formaintaining the tubes in fixed radially spaced relation, a pulleyswivelly mounted on the outer end of said boom, a cable passing throughsaid boom and over said pulley, a reel mounted within the body of saidtruck for winding said cable, power means selectively operable to rotatesaid reel for raising or lowering said cable, and means operable incooperation with said auxiliary mast for raising and lowering said boom.

4. A crane suitable for mounting on a truck of the van type comprisingan upright hollow cylindrical column adapted to extend through the roofof the truck body, a hollow cylindrical mast rotatably mountedconcentrically within said column and having an upper marginal edgeextending beyond said column, a fir'st U-shaped socket mounted on theupper marginal edge of said mast, a pulley journalled in said socket, aboom pivotally mounted in said socket, a pulley swivelly mounted onouter end of said boom, a second U-shaped socket mounted on the uppermarginal edge of said mast, an auxiliary mast pivotally mounted in saidsecond socket and having a pulley journalled at its free end, a firstcable arranged in engagement with the pulley of said first socket andsaid boom pulley, a second cable passing over said auxiliary mast pulleyand having its free end secured to said boom, a first reel for windingsaid first cable, a second reel for winding said second cable, and powermeans ror rotating said reels operable to afford selective rotation ofsaid reels whereby said first cable may be Wound and unwound to lift andlower an object and said second reel may be actuated to raise and lowersaid boom.

5. A crane suitable for mounting on a truck of the van type comprisingan upright hollow cylindrical column adapted to extend through the roofof the truck body, a hollow cylindrical mast rotatably mountedconcentrically within said column and having an upper marginal edgeextending beyond said column, a first U-shaped socket mounted on theupper marginal edge of said mast, a pulley journalled in said socket, aboom pivotally mounted in said socket, said boom having an outer sleeveand an inner sleeve maintained in fixed radially spaced relation to eachother, said sleeves being secured together at their respective endsonly, a pulley swivelly mounted on outer end of said boom, a secondU-shaped-socket mounted'on the upper marginal edge of said mast, anauxiliary mast pivotally mounted in said second socket and having apulley journalled at its free end, a first cable arranged in engagementwith the pulley of said first socket and said boom pulley, a secondcable passing over said auxiliary mast pulley and having its free endsecured to said boom, a first reel for winding said first cable, asecond reel for winding said second cable, and power means for rotatingsaid reels operable to afford selective rotation of said reels wherebysaid first cable may be wound and unwound to lift and lower an objectand said second reel may be actuated to raise and lower said boom. 6, Acrane suitable for mounting on a truck of the van type comprising anupright hollow cylindrical column adapted to extend through the roof ofthe truck body, a hollow cylindrical mast rotatably mountedconcentrically within said column, and having an upper marginal edgeextending beyond said column, a first U-shaped socket mounted on theupper marginal edge of said mast, a pulley journalled in said socket, aboom pivotally mounted in said socket, said boom having an outer sleeveand inner sleeve, a spacer ring disposed between said inner tube andsaid outer tube at each end and secured fast thereto for maintaining thetubes in fixed radially spaced relation, a pulley swivelly mounted onouter end of said boom, a second U-shaped socket mounted on the uppermarginal edge of said mast, an auxiliary mast pivotally mounted in saidsecond socket and having a pulley journalled at its free end, a firstcable arranged in engagement with the pulley of said first socket andsaid boom pulley, a second cable passing over said auxiliary mast pulleyand having its free end secured to said boom, a first reel for windingsaid first cable, a second reel for winding said second cable, powermeans for rotating said reels, and power means operable to affordselective rotation of said reels whereby said first cable may be woundand unwound to lift and lower an object and said second reel may beactuated to raise and lower said boom.

7. A crane suitable for mounting on a truck of the van type comprisingan upright hollow cylindrical column adapted to extend through the roofof the truck body, a hollow cylindrical mast rotatably mountedconcentrically within said column, and having an upper marginal edgeextending beyond said column, a first U-shaped socket mounted on theupper marginal edge of said mast, a pulley journalled in said socket, aboom pivotally mounted in said socket and having a pulley at its outerend, said boom having an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve, a spacer ringdisposed between said inner sleeve and said outer sleeve at each end andsecured to both said sleeves for maintaining the sleeves in fixed axialand radially spaced relation so that forces tending to bend said outersleeve are resisted by endwise compression imparted to said inner sleeveby said outer sleeve, a second U-shaped socket mounted on the uppermarginal edge of said mast,

an auxiliary mast pivotally mounted in said second socket and having apulley journalled at its free end, a first cable arranged in engagementwith the pulley of said first socket and said boom pulley, a secondcable passing over said auxiliary mast pulley and having its free endsecured to said boom, a first reel for winding said first cable, asecond reel for winding said second cable, power means for rotating saidreels, and clutch means operable to afford selective rotation of saidreels.

8. A crane suitable for mounting on a truck of the van type comprisingan upright hollow cylindrical column adapted to extend through the roofof the truck body, a hollow cylindrical mast rotatably mountedconcentrically within said column, and having an upper marginal edgeextending beyond said column, a first U- shaped socket mounted on theupper marginal edge of said mast, a pulley journalled in said socket, apair of shoe-shaped brackets pivotally mounted in said socket, each ofsaid brackets having an angle portion arcuately 7 formedtfor engagementwith one :end ofsaid boom, said boom havingan outer tubular sleeve andan inner tubular sleeve-maintained in fixed radially spaced relation toeach other, said sleeves being secured Ito-each other 'at theirendsonly, a pulley mounted on outer end of said boom, 21 second U-shapedsocket mounted on the upper marginal edge of said mast, an auxiliarymast pivotally mounted in said second socket and having a pulleyjournalled at its free end, a first cable arranged in engagement withthe pulley of said first socket and said boom pulley, a second cablepassing over said auxiliary mast pulley and having its free end securedto said boom, a first reel for winding said first cable, a second reelfor winding said second cable, and power, means for rotating said reelsselectively.

References Citediin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSITillson AprrS, 1,873 Bradney'et al. Jan; 21; 1919 Ferguson June 22, 1920Harbinger Jan: 3, 1922 Miller Oct-8,1929 Nelsonet al. July -4, 1933'Wilson et al. Maul, 1949 Shoemaker Jan: 19, 1954

